Showing posts with label Hanoks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hanoks. Show all posts

Monday, December 20, 2010

Hanoks and Twister: A celebration of the Mister

The Birthday celebrations continued through the weekend, oh and how wonderful it was!


Friday night we headed to a local restaurant that has become a favourite of ours recently. The restaurant serves delicious spicy Chicken galbi on rice, with cheese (of course). Following the huge gorge (the portions are massive), we headed to 'Sweety' coffee shop for drinks and caaaake. Renditions of 'Happy Birthday', gift giving, animal hats and attempts at the english accent whilst eating sausages followed....






Ah real rum in Korea


Penguins that warm your hands!




Saturday, we headed to the nearby city of Gyeongju. The city is rich in culture and is absolutely beautiful year round. 
















In winter theres cabbages everywhere in place of flowers!






I had booked for us to stay in a traditional house known as a 'Hanok' or 'minbak' or  as the owners also live there. It was a sleeping on the floor affair, a floor which was heated, heated so much I feared I may suffer second degree burns.








The door to our room


The 'Sillabang' minbak, situated close to the train station was everything I had hoped. Costing just 12,000W per person (thats about 7pounds) we couldn't have asked for anything more. Ondol, traditional surroundings, traditional tea and more...


 We were segregated by sex (the boys even got a double mattress in their room) and felt like naughty school kids on a school trip whilst playing twister, jenga (and all kids of creative games with the Jenga blocks) and drinking a little wine in the boys room.
The little hint of orange you can see is my 'Kings' crown, the aim was to knock down your opponents King


Twister






We did head downtown later for dinner and drinks but everything was closed!! For 11pm in Korea this is shocking! Even the shops in most cities are open till 11pm and restaurants and bars never seem to close...we felt a little cheated.


The following morning we rose and congregated in the minbaks tea room for traditional Korean tea. Following a brunch of delicious pretzels and coffee at a favourite chain coffee shop of ours 'Tom n Tom's' we headed to Bomun Lake to play ' Survival'.








Freshly baked pretzel, so addictive!




Survival is like paintball, although we were a little unsure as to exactly what it entailed we figured it was either in fact paintball or perhaps bbguns or lazer quest-esque. However, upon arrival in Bomun the Survival place was closed :(


Good job we were in Bomun Lake though, plenty to do....ride ATV', boats, bikes of all varieties, Theme Park, water park....you name it...








We decided to throw money, rocks and tangerines at a frozen part of the lake (brutes). HA. It was great fun and that ice was thick!


The ice we tried in vain to break through


After our moment of being childlike rogues we decided to head for a lovely ride in the duck boats, but wait thats too boring, we must instead race across the river. With Paul and Chris throwing chinks of ice at us, great.








A lil over excited OR just an idiot, I'm never quite sure myself.




The day ended in a sleepy bus ride home to Pohang. Followed by homemade Hodok (Korean pancakes, ridiculously tasty) and smoothies, life is good.


Quite the chef me.


Thanks for yet another delightful weekend!




Take one
Take two









Friday, December 10, 2010

Yangdong Traditional Village

Sunday morning we headed to Yugang traditional village located a short drive from downtown Pohang (between Pohang and Gyeongju). The village is the largest of its kind in Korea and was magnificent. The village is a traditional Choseon Yangban village where you can experience some of Korea's national cultural assets.



Yangdong village
 

Thatched roof houses

At the village we watched folk beating some songpyeon (rice cake), from what I understand its ground down rice, slightly sweetened and sometimes combined with other things such as raisins and pumpkin etc, pretty tasteless otherwise but Koreans LOVE it, especially the plain white version.



Traditional attire for making rice cake
 
We walked about the traditional houses, which were able to withstand the Japanese war and still have people living in them today.




Traditional gate handle



Traditional Korean Horse
 

The winding paths


A view of Korea through the door frame.


The views of Korea

Beautiful Korean Bird in a persimmon tree







Man at work
 

Me in a windy old tree
 Two families have lived in the houses and maintained the area for over 500 years. Within the village are two types of housing structures from the Choseon era, large Hanoks on the hillside for the wealthy and on lower ground, the thatched roof houses of the servants.





The traditional ondol, a fire lit here will heat a home for 3 days!












After a stroll about the village we decided to walk back to Pohang as the weather was so good and it meant we got the pass by the lake, which was truly amazing. So beautiful...

















Our day ended with delicious and addictive pretzels from Tom n Toms coffee shop (we feel the need to get one every weekend, they are freshly baked and filled with cheese for goodness sake) and a lil nap at home. We are pretty old these days.



Our upcoming plans:


  • A surprise trip for the beaus birthday- I am so excited for this but much planning to be done.
  • A Korean Christmas- Celebrated in as traditional Jolley style as possible with some friends.
  • New Year in the Philippines. Say. no. more.

HOME!!!